Beaumont City Council

The citizenry spoke and the city listened, unanimously approving a resolution opposing the removal of the Brooks Road overpass as proposed by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), part of an ongoing interstate widening project.

During the Beaumont City Council’s final meeting of 2017, held Dec. 19, citizens approached the podium to tell their representatives why they feel the overpass is needed and should not be removed. Beaumont resident Patrick Phelan told the council the overpass provides convenient and safe passage for those who live in nearby neighborhoods.

Jose Carmen Perez spoke to the Beaumont City Council on Aug. 15, expressing his concerns about recent violence in the city and describing a brutal attack on his 18-year-old grandson, who was reportedly one of the two parties assaulted and robbed during a carjacking at Westgate Baptist Church on Aug. 1.

The Examiner reported on the incident at the church last week. According to police, officers responded to the church at 6220 Westgate Drive, near Dowlen Road in Beaumont, after a neighborhood resident called and reported a young couple was at the door in distress.

It was Nov. 27, 2016, and Meatra Gilmore needed gas. She stopped at a local station to fuel up and walked inside to go the restroom. After asking the attendant where the customer bathroom was located, she suddenly collapsed. Gilmore had experienced a heart attack. By the time the paramedics arrived, she wasn’t breathing.

Tuesday, Oct. 11, Beaumont City Council approved the termination of their lease with the Beaumont Yacht Club at 560 Marina Drive after almost 29 years. I

n February 2016, the City approved a month to month lease agreement for the Beaumont Yacht Club while they were negotiating the sale of the property and appraisal. According to previous council minutes, the City conducted the appraisal for its value and “to establish the amount of rent payments for a long-term lease.” The Beaumont Yacht Club has been renting from the City for $2,500 a month during this interim period.

Tuesday, Oct. 11, Beaumont City Council approved the renewal of lease agreements with the Bar C Ranch for the Southeast Texas Auto Theft Task Force during their approval of the consent agenda.

The documents attached state that the council’s approval allows the city manager to execute a three-year lease extension for suites C, D and E of 2430 West Cardinal Drive, the location of the Southeast Texas Auto Task Force office and warehouse space. Suite C’s lease rate is $1,755 per month and Suites D and E are being leased at $2,232 per month.

After police told him and his friends they could no longer use tennis courts at city parks to play their favorite sport, local futsal enthusiast Marco Hernandez suggested the city invest in a court for the sport, a type of hard-court soccer popular in Latin countries.

At its regular meeting March 24, the Beaumont City Council approved a measure ultimately meant to combat homelessness in the city.

The council voted unanimously to authorize City Manager Kyle Hayes to apply to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) for Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

During a work session in a regular Beaumont City Council meeting Wednesday, Nov 12, city officials and council members reviewed and discussed the proposed Best Years Senior Center Project. During a presentation on the new facility and its location beside the Event Centre in downtown Beaumont, J. Rob Clark, principal architect at Architectural Alliance Inc., along with his team showed the council and attending citizens the projected new center and its surrounding amenities.

Beaumont City Council authorized city administrators to submit a grant application to the Mamie McFaddin Ward Heritage Foundation for funds in the amount of $7,500. Grant funds, if received, will be used to develop a website to provide easy access to fitness opportunities, nutritional counseling and medical advice.

While we harbor no disrespect for the Wall Street Journal who called us “that scrappy little paper from Southeast Texas,” we prefer to think of ourselves as simple seekers of the truth. We’re of the opinion that headlines and sound bites never tell the whole story. Our readers demand all the facts, facets and flavors of every story or event. And, they expect to be informed, educated and stirred to action.